Concerto
by SailorMelina
Summary: It's after the concours, and Kahoko's life has fallen into a calm lull, but when Lili comes shouting with desperate news,dealing with life and death, what can Kahoko do? Also...Kahoko must sort out her feelings for someone...or more than just one someone!
1. Movement I

Disclaimed: Guess what...I don't own La Corda D'oro or any of it's characters! There will be original characters that come into the story EVENTUALLY, but they are not in this chapter. So there!

Author's Note: The summary sucks...just so you know. Well, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep up with this one...But I sure do hope so..because I've become a huge fan of this series. I've decided to refer to all of the characters by their first names, so in case people aren't sure of who is who, well, I'll just make a list up here in case.

Kahoko Hino

Ryotaro Tsuchiura

Len Tsukimori

Keiichi Shimizu

Shoko Fuyuumi

Hiroto Kanazawa

Azuma Yunoki

Kazuki Hihara

Nami Amou

Shinobu Ousaki

Ok, now that that's done, enjoy!

* * *

_"Kahoko Hino…I love you…" _

_She looks at him shocked and surprised._

"_I…"_

* * *

Kahoko filed through her music. She couldn't find anything that she really wanted to practice right now. Her life had fallen into a kind of lull. After the concours, people wordlessly accepted the strange change in her playing skills; from sounding like a prodigy to sounding like a beginner. She was greatly relieved it turned out that way, because she wasn't sure if she would've been able to take an interrogation. If the truth came out that her playing had been a lie, what would people think of her; especially all of her friends from the concours. Would they hate her because she had been lying to them? She didn't know if any of them could ever forgive her, particularly Len. She still thought about that everyday.

Also, she doubted that she'd be able to say, "Oh, it was because my violin was magic and was from a fata; that's a fairy, just so you know." That would just make her seem crazy.

Although her skill level had dropped dramatically, she practiced as much as she could to sound better and create her own sound. Actually, she was improving. A little reluctantly, she owed a lot to Len; lately, he had become sort of like a teacher for her. He always kept her posture in check and made sure she held everything up right. He was usually very picky with the sound, but he had perfect pitch and she didn't, so that was to be expected.

Even though Len always felt a little distant and cold sometimes, he had still lightened up since the concours. Of course, that didn't stop him from arguing with Ryotaro all the time. Ryotaro had really been helping her out also. Whenever he had time, he would go into a practice room with her and play the accompaniment part with whatever short pieces she had. He'd give her pointers here and there on what he could, and plus, Kahoko always felt a little more comfortable playing with someone else.

Everyone seemed to be unquestionably supporting her; even Lili, although he could be a little annoying sometimes. She felt so lucky to know so many people who would do so much for her. Kazuki always cheered her up whenever she felt down…although lately, he had been acting a bit strange. Kahoko pondered on this for a moment. He blushed at the strangest things. But anyways, this was still her wonderful world right now…. and she didn't want anything to change.

* * *

Len stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. He glanced at the clock on his bed stand: 1:03 AM. Lately, he had been having trouble sleeping. Something distracted him…or rather someone, and her name was Kahoko Hino. She affected him like no other person. He saw her almost everyday, but that never felt like it was enough. This bothered him greatly. Was this one of those things? A crush, right? He couldn't remember ever having one of those. For him, it had always been practicing. Girls had always just been there; he never really cared about them or anyone else for that matter. His whole life had revolved around trying to play well enough to live up to his parents' reputations and grow out of their shadows. That's just what everyone expected. His parents seemed to just want him to be happy and do well in life…but he never really thought about being happy. 

Now what? Was he happy now? His style had undoubtedly changed a lot; that had to be admitted. He remembered that first time he started playing…differently. It was during the training camp at the villa; he and Hino had played Ave Maria together…they produced such a gentle sound that was akin to the playing of his father and mother. So…was the change because of her? Her playing?

_Her playing…hmm…_

And then, there was also her change in ability. He still had no idea what happened, but somehow, he felt like he couldn't ask her about it. This all felt so confusing. He disliked thinking so much over one girl. One girl. He refused to let himself go on further, and thus, somehow forced himself to fall asleep.

* * *

Kahoko ran down the familiar music school hallways where the practice rooms were. She was about to open a practice door, but it opened before she could reach the doorknob. 

"You're late," Len Tsukimori said, looking rather annoyed and a little bit weary.

"Ah, gomen!" Kahoko said bowing her head down. Len let her into the room. "I had to-"

"Hm…"

Kahoko took this as a sign that he didn't care what made her late. The fact was that she was just late. He definitely had a way of expressing words.

For a moment, it looked like he was in deep thought (which, frankly, he was). He wondered, _Why do I do this almost everyday?_

"Ah…Tsukimori-kun? Len? Uhmm…?" Kahoko tried waving him out of his zone out.

"Sorry, let's start. Just play the piece you started last time."

She started to play.

…_That's why…_

Len couldn't just listen to her; he had to watch. He felt the notes swelling and filling up the room; this was the same sense of feeling he got whenever she really played out. Even though there were many obvious mistakes here and there with notes being off, the sound itself was still…honest. If she really practiced, she could improve her playing to how it sounded before the end of the concours. Her music had substance and a certain gentleness about it, which his music used to lack; it was insubstantial in comparison. He disliked admitting that.

* * *

"Tsukimori-kun, thanks again for today," Kahoko said as she loosened her bow. 

"Yeah…" he said, still looking to be in deep thought. Kahoko furrowed her brow; although Len wasn't very talkative in the first place and was usually cold, he kept acting stranger around her everyday. She hoped it had nothing to do with how her playing differed from before. Suddenly…

"Kahoko Hino!!!!!!!!!!" Lili slammed himself into her face.

"Ack!" She fell backwards, surprised, but quickly recovered herself.

"Hino-san?? Are you…alright?"

She seemed rather annoyed and looked like she was picking something off her face. She put on an obviously forced smile.

"I'm fine…just fine. But I just remembered something, I need to rush out, bye!"

Kaho put Lili down on the table and quickly packed up her violin in its case. She ran out of the practice room with Lili following after her leaving Len a little confused.

_Such a strange person…_

* * *

"What the heck was that?!" Kahoko fumed to Lili on the rooftop where no one else would hear her or see her talking to nothing but air. "I was still with Tsukimori-kun; he already thinks I'm strange enough. I'm going to die from these cover-ups!" 

"But it's an emergency!" Lili shouted desperately. Kahoko let out a big sigh; this promised to be tiring.

"What happened?" she asked, almost unwillingly.

"I can sense…a fairy hunter in this school!"

"A what?" Kahoko realized there must a million strange things in this world that she had never heard of. First fairies (or fatas), now fairy hunters!

"A fairy hunter! They're usually people whose auras don't correlate at all with fatas; this kind of correlation leads to strong negative waves that we fatas can easily detect. Most of them are part of a kind of organization that go around everywhere to different parts of the world. They…"

At this point, Lili's eyes started welling up with tears. Kahoko became more concerned about this and listened more carefully.

"They do horrible things! They do all kinds of cruel experiments and…they're main objective is to…exterminate us!"

Lili truly looked upset and frightened now. Kahoko let him hug onto her shoulder. She lightly patted his head.

"But…why? Why would they do all those things?" she asked. Fairies were harmless (more or less), right? Why would anyone want to kill them off?

"You see, if you kill a fata, you gain a little bit of its power. With that power, you can grant yourself or someone else three wishes. These wishes could be almost absolutely anything you want! People would do anything to get them."

Kahoko sighed; she knew people could be greedy like this. The world seemed so small and horrible nowadays.

"Do you have any clues to who it is?" she asked.

"No," Lili said discouraged, "I can't pinpoint on one person. I just know they're in the school. I'm not even sure how long they've been here! When the concours started, I didn't pay much attention to anything else besides the concours."

With absolutely no clues or indication of who the hunter was, Kahoko still promised Lili she'd help him find out who it was. She silently wondered what she had gotten herself into now.


	2. Movement II

Disclaimer: Yeah…I still definitely do not own La Corda D'oro or it's original storyline. I do however own most of this storyline and other people too (who still have not appeared yet, but will eventually). Also, I own many ramen noodles! Yay Ramen noodles!!!

Author's Note: Well, here's chapter 2…NOW we start to see a little more of those other pairings. But, unfortunately, I feel like this is a little too dialoguey…no…dialoguey is not a word…but I just felt like using it anyways, so there. I'm still not sure who she'll pair up with in the end, but for sure, she's gonna end up with someone! So I guess you'll just have to read and find out who! Please review!

* * *

"Uhm, Hihara-senpai? I don't think you should be eating so fast," Shoko Fuyuumi observed quietly. 

"Eh? Oh, sorry. Bad habits die hard!" Kazuki laughed.

It was especially nice out today; so many students were still outside before school started. Shoko felt herself get uncomfortable with senpai again. Even though she was getting better at talking to people, she still felt a little weak and awkward around people, especially ones as loud and exciting as Kazuki. She bid farewell to Kazuki and left quietly. Hiroto Kanazawa started walking out of the school; it seemed he was looking for someone.

"Kanayan!!!!!!!!!!!" Kazuki yelled while he attacked the unsuspecting teacher.

"Hihara! How many times have I told you not to do that!" Hiroto retorted, giving Kazuki a noogie.

"Gomen, gomen!!"

Azuma Yunoki walked over, detaching himself from a few of his fan girls.

"Ah, good morning Kanazawa-sensei."

"Morning, Yunoki," Hiroto mumbled.

"Were you looking for someone just now?"

Hiroto explained that he had to give a message to Kahoko from the principal and it was apparently urgent. It was in a sealed envelope and everything.

"I'll deliver it!" Kazuki shouted eagerly, taking the letter out of Hiroto's hands.

"Ah, no wait, Hihara!" But Kazuki had already run off with the note.

Hiroto and Azuma sighed. "That hard-headed idiot."

Azuma chuckled, "He just wanted an excuse to see Hino-san. Poor Hihara. I wonder if Hino-san knows he loves her?"

Hiroto laughed. "I wonder if Hihara knows he loves her."

"Kanazawa-sensei, you don't give him enough credit. I'm very positive that he's aware of his feelings."

"Yeah, yeah. You're right, Yunoki. Even Hihara isn't that dense."

With that, they both started heading inside.

* * *

"Kaho-chan!!!!!!!!!!!" Hihara yelled running after her. 

Kahoko had been walking up to the school doors with her violin in hand as always. She yawned a little bit. How could he be so energetic so early in the morning? He caught up with her.

"Ahh! This is a note that Kanayan wanted me to give you."

"Eh?" Kahoko took it from his hand. She observed that it had the school's official seal on it; it was from the principal. Kahoko had never really personally spoken with the principal before, but he obviously knew everything about Lili. Kanazawa-sensei knew a little about Lili, too. She broke the seal and opened it a little bit to peek at the subject matter; it was about the problem Lili had. Kahoko bit her lip. She worried about that last night and had no idea how she was going to find a fairy hunter out of all of the students and teachers in the school. The only description she had of a fairy hunter was that they were incompatible with fatas. How could she identify someone like that? It's not like she had some sort of detector that picked up negative-fata waves.

"Kaho-chan? Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh…it's nothing Hihara-senpai. I was just thinking to myself is all."

Kazuki paused a little. There had been something he had wanted to tell her for a long time, but he didn't know when he could tell her. Now? Well, they say that there's no time like the present to face your fears…Kazuki took a deep breath.

"Ah, Kaho-chan, there's something I really wanted to-"

"Kaho-chan!!!!!!!!!!!!" Mio screamed, giving her friend a hug from behind.

"Mio!" Kahoko shouted.

"Happy birthday, Kaho-chan!" Nao said, just behind Mio.

Oh yeah…today was her birthday. After worrying about Lili, Kahoko almost forgot.

"It's your birthday?!" Kazuki exclaimed. "If I'd known I'd have gotten you something!"

"That's ok, Hihara-senpai. Thank you for thinking of me though."

Kahoko smiled brightly. Suddenly, Kazuki couldn't help but stare at her smiling. She always gave him this feeling…it felt so warm and made him experience a sort of calm and happiness. In a way, Kazuki was a bit relieved for the interruption. He knew he had feelings for her now, but he never seemed to be able to tell her or do anything about it. And just now, when he tried, he was stopped. Maybe, after all, he shouldn't say anything. That type of thing could ruin a friendship, right? He definitely didn't want to not be friends with Kahoko anymore…but…still, the feeling…

"Hey," someone behind Kazuki said, giving Kazuki a small flick on the head.

"Tsuchiura-kun!" Kahoko exclaimed.

"Hihara-senpai, shouldn't you start to head in to the music school side? It's a little farther for you to walk and the warning bell just rang," Ryotaro said, giving Kazuki a questioning look.

"EHAH!!??! It's that late already??! I have to run! Bye! Oh, and happy birthday, Kaho-chan!" Hihara ran off to class leaving them behind almost in a dust.

"Heh, that guy," Nao laughed.

Mio giggled with her. "You could almost forget he's a senpai."

Ryotaro watched Kazuki run off. He knew why Kazuki had been staring, and couldn't help but feel a little annoyed (although it was still almost comical that the senpai didn't know much about girls in that way). He always felt like this whenever Kazuki acted the way he did whenever Kahoko was around. Why? Ryotaro still wasn't sure why he felt that way…

"Eh, Tsuchiura, what do you got there?" Nao observed Ryotaro holding something behind his back.

Ryotaro sighed. This killed his hope that he wouldn't have to give it to her in front of anyone. He held it out to Kahoko. It was a small box wrapped in purple wrapping paper and a blue ribbon. The wrapping was clean-cut and nicely done.

"Tsuchiura-kun, how did you know?" Kahoko said, surprised. Her birthday wasn't usually something she paraded around or anything. She never had any big parties with lots of people; mostly just small get-togethers with Nao, Mio, her mom, and her sister.

"Well, Amou was talking about it yesterday and, well, I just kinda…yeah."

Ryotaro reluctantly recalled his conversation with her yesterday when Nami had insistently asked him questions on if he and Kahoko were really a couple. Those kinds of rumors seemed to come up more frequently lately. Kahoko and himself had never been like that; they still weren't like that. Nami then asked him questions like what he would do for Kahoko's birthday, and that's when Ryotaro suddenly discovered that he had something to do and pulled himself out of the uncomfortable interview. Somehow, he found himself in a gift shop later on and buying Kahoko a present. The action was almost done unconsciously; he almost felt embarrassed now.

Ryotaro blushed a little as Kahoko picked up the present from his hand. Kahoko also felt herself turning red. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever gotten a present from a guy before. She supposed it was probably because she didn't interact with them much as good friends before the concours. This was another thing that the concours changed about her. She knew that Nami probably knew about her birthday because, really, Nami knew practically everything about everyone, or at least tried to.

"Thank you, Tsuchiura-kun."

Mio and Nao were whispering between each other.

"Nao, do you think…?"

"Hmm…maybe…"

"Hey!" Kahoko said, coming out of her thoughts. "What are you guys whispering about?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Both said, waving their hands in the air to brush away Kahoko's suspicious thoughts.

"We should go inside now, we're going to be late," Tsuchiura warned.

"Ah, thanks again!" Kahoko said as Tsuchiura went ahead of her.

He gave her the kind of wave meaning that it was nothing. She followed in after him with Nao and Mio in tow.

* * *

At the beginning of lunchtime, Kahoko, Nao, and Mio all sat together, as usual, in the classroom eating. Nao and Mio couldn't help but tease Kahoko a little about the present she had gotten from Tsuchiura (which she still hadn't opened yet). 

"Kahoko…?" Nao asked.

"Yea?"

Both Nao and Mio grinned deviously.

"Do you think you and Tsuchiura would ever…go out?"

"What??! Not you guys too! We've been over this already! We're not like that!" Kahoko felt so exasperated now. People were always accusing her of going out with Ryotaro; it was getting absolutely ridiculous.

Mio had to ask, "Well, do you have any feelings for him?"

Kahoko paused. Did she have feelings for Ryotaro? She felt her face grow warm and red. She just never really thought about how she felt. Ryotaro was a nice guy and everything. He had saved her from difficult situations numerous times; including the first time they met. Kahoko looked outside and coincidentally saw him running on the track for gym class. She felt herself get even redder.

"Uhm…I…I…" Kahoko struggled to say anything.

"It's ok, Kaho-chan! You don't have to tell us," Nao said, patting Kahoko on the shoulder.

"Yeah, that's right. But, at least let us know anything by the time you start going out with anyone!" Mio teased.

Kahoko sighed. "You guys are mean."

Mio looked at the clock and gasped. "Nao! It's that time!"

"What? Already?"

Kahoko looked at the two confused. "What time?"

Nao stuffed down her food quickly and stood up.

"Sorry Kaho-chan! We gotta go!"

"But…what about class?" Kahoko said, still confused.

"Don't worry," Mio said, "We'll be back before the bell rings. Bye!"

The two ran out quickly and left Kahoko wondering why they were acting so weird.

* * *

Len heard a knock on the door during his lunchtime practice. He sighed and set his violin down in the case as well as his bow. He walked to the door and opened it. There, standing on the other side were Kahoko's friends. What were their names again? Kobayashi Nao and Takatou Mio, right? 

"Can I help you?" he said with his usual frostiness.

They both felt a chill go down their spines when he greeted them…if you could even call that a real greeting.

"Uh…Tsukimori-kun, we were just letting you know that Kaho-chan won't make it to your usual practice today," Nao said nervously. Mio almost wanted to hide behind her.

At this point, Len felt a little taken back. Did something happen? Was she not feeling well? Was she mad at him for something? Why wasn't she here telling him this herself? Then, he realized he was jumping to conclusions and brushed the thoughts aside.

"Why?" he asked simply.

Now, Mio finally piped up, "We're going to throw her a surprise birthday party!"

Birthday? He didn't know it was her birthday. If he'd known he would have…would have what? Bought her a present? This brought another question to his mind, were they friends? He felt unsure if they were close enough to be giving presents to each other on their birthdays. He never thought about this kind of thing before.

"Also, we wanted to know if you wanted to come. If you're worried about presents, you don't have to bring one. Kaho-chan isn't the kind to mind about those things, and this is kind of last minute anyways."

"Hn…"

_That was hardly a reply…_ Nao thought, a little annoyed.

"I'll…see…" he finally surrendered.

"It'll be at 7:00 at this address after school!" Mio handed a paper to Len with Kahoko's address on it. She smiled and wondered if this guy liked their friend too. This made her wish she was able to play an instrument just so she could hang out with so many cute guys and find her own little romance. What had happened to Kahoko had been just like a shojo manga!

Mio and Nao said good-bye. Len watched them leave and walk down the hallway.

"That was really nice of Tsuchiura to get her a present, wasn't it?" Nao said.

"Yeah! I know! Even though he's a little scary sometimes, he's still a nice guy!"

_Tsuchiura?!?!?!_

He got her a present? For unexplainable reasons, at least unexplainable to Len, he felt a little bit agitated over this. After school, he would find himself ending his practice early and going out into town where he would "happen" upon a gift shop…and also happen to look for a good route to the address on the paper.

* * *

Nao attempted parting the sea of fan girls surrounding Azuma by pushing through, but to no avail. Luckily, Kazuki happened to be around, so he helped them find a pathway to Azuma. 

"Ah, Yunoki-senpai!" Mio said, blushing a little bit.

"Takatou-san and Kobayashi-san, you're Kahoko's friends, right?"

Nao nodded while Mio blushed even more since he remembered their names. At this point, Nao saw that she needed to take the initiative over Mio since Mio looked like she would pass out. "Actually, we were wondering if both you and Hihara-senpai could spread the word among some people about Kaho-chan's surprise party, like the other concour participants and things. We're sorry to be a burden, but it would really help a lot."

"No problem, Kobayashi-san," he said with his usual politeness and smile. All the fan girls sighed in bliss.

The two handed both he and Kazuki cards with the address of the party on them as well as the time and left running to get back to class on time.

* * *

More Author's Note: This chapter didn't turn out as well as I hoped it would…I didn't read and edit through it much, so there's probably a lot more mistakes in it than the last one…or maybe not. I don't know. This is mostly a lead-up chapter with fluffy stuff and things. 


	3. Movement III

Disclaimer: Still not owning it..nope…La Corda D'oro is still not mine. So there! Hmm..my characters MAY make an appearance in this chapter…or not. We'll see…

Author's Note: This chapter gave me a lot of trouble, so I hope it turned out ok for you guys to read. Aish…I don't believe it liked me too much while I was writing it…argh. The scenes are pretty short, so there were a lot of line breaks. Ohhhh…and also, I was able to put this in the brand new La Corda D'oro section!!! Yay! They made one! I'm so happy! Yes! Anyone else who is a La Corda D'oro fanfiction writer can now move their story to that section! Woohoo!

* * *

"_We're leaving it to you guys, Shimizu-kun and Fuyuumi-chan! You can do it!"_

Shoko shook her head nervously. She and Keiichi were assigned to be the second distraction for Kahoko to keep her busy until the surprise party was set up. The plan said that either Mio or Nao would call to confirm they were ready. Shoko worried that she would fail, especially since Keiichi always managed to somehow fall asleep. When the bell rang for school to end, Shoko took a deep breath. She couldn't ruin this for Kahoko…no…she couldn't do that to her senpai.

Here I go… 

She stood up; most of everyone else had already left the classroom. Quickly, she went to look for Keiichi to confirm times when they would "bump" into Kahoko together. After asking around, she finally found him sleeping in one of the classrooms. She sighed.

"Uhm…Shimizu-kun?" She shook his shoulder. "Please, wake up."

"Mmm. Fuyuumi….-chan…" Keiichi's eyes slowly opened. He looked sleepily up at her and slowly stood up.

Shoko attempted hustling him to move faster so she could think of how they were going to distract Kahoko.

* * *

"Guess what, Kaho-chan, guess what!" 

Kahoko watched Mio jump up and down with excitement. A little off balance, she replied, "...What?"

Nao joined in. "We're shopping and we're taking you with us whether you like it or not!"

At first, the idea didn't seem so bad; she had been practicing for a long time now and she hadn't hung out with her friends for this kind of thing in a while. Plus, it'd be a nice diversion from the whole fairy hunter ordeal. But…she was forgetting something…what was it…She looked down at her violin…

"Tsukimori-kun! I can't ditch him!" she exclaimed. As mean as it would be to ditch someone in the first place, she got the feeling that it would be worse with Len than other people. She imagined the coldness she'd receive if she missed one of their meetings. Besides, another feeling nagged her at the back of her mind. She found herself wanting to see him…was it just out of habit? Possibly…or maybe…

"We got his permission to take you!" Mio encouraged.

"You what?! When was that?"

"Lunch, c'mon, when was the last time we were able to go out after school like this?" Nao gave Kahoko a convincing smile (almost like she was trying to sell something).

Kahoko considered this for a moment; she grinned.

"Alright, let's go!"

* * *

Len came home from an unexplainable trip to the gift shop as well as buying a town map with addresses on it. Quietly, as usual (even though he thought no one was home), he put his package on the stairwell and went into the living room. However, he was surprised to find his mother on the phone. She was supposed to be on tour; he wondered if something happened. He went to the other side of the room, and sat down on the couch. Len conveniently found a book lying on the table nearby, grabbed it, and put it in front of his face. 

"Yes, it's really no problem. We won't mind you staying here at all! Mmhmm…I'm sure the girls will be fine! Seoko has just started going to Seiso anyways, right? The change of schools wouldn't be a problem…besides, with Len there…"

He cringed. Seoko? He knew that name all to well; she was his older cousin. However, whenever she was in the vicinity, he avoided her at all costs. Not only was she incessantly annoying, but she always seemed to cause him trouble no matter what. Even though now they went to the same schools, he was still able to avoid her since she was in the GenEd school. Seoko had started to attend Seiso before the concours started, but even then, seeing her had never been an issue.

His mother hung up the phone. She looked towards Len and smiled.

"Hello, Len. Surprised?"

He replied with a small shrug and with his usual respect towards his mother, "How about your tour, is something wrong?"

"No, no," she said, shaking her head. "There's just been a little break, and I'm using it to be here."

Len raised an eyebrow. Usually, his mother never took these kinds of breaks on a tour.

She continued. "You see, something very bad has happened in the family. Auntie Rin's house burned down, so now she and your cousins have to stay with us until they can find a suitable house and Rin can find a job." With that, his mother seemed a little sadder.

However, Len felt himself get a little anxious. Seoko was _staying_ with them? Living in the same house with his cousin…he shuddered at the thought. Plus, she would be going to his school. He felt his life would suddenly take a plunge.

Looking at the clock, he noticed that if he was going to go to the party, he'd have to get changed now so he'd have time to set out and find the place. Well, he bought the gift already; he might as well go.

"I need to go out later," he said, about to walk out of the room.

Hi mother looked up at him. "Oh? Where?

He paused and looked down at the floor, as if almost embarrassed. Then… "…A party…"

Now, one must understand that Len wasn't the kind of person who went to parties unless they were the kind that were after his parents' concerts, or "obligation parties". His parents had actually tried encouraging him to go to his peers' birthday parties when he was younger. However, due to his unsociable disposition, which he had, even as a child, he never felt enjoyment or fun from any of them. His parents ended up giving up on the thought. So, when Len announced to his mother that he was going to a party, she was unsure what to feel: happy, or worried. For a few minutes, there was silence while Len still stood still, waiting for his mother's reaction.

Finally his mother inquired, "Whose party are you going to? A friend's?"

"…Do you remember Kahoko Hino…from the concours?"

She nodded fondly. "Yes, she's a very nice girl."

"…it's hers…" Len tried his best to answer calmly and without uneasiness.

_Ahh…I see…_ His mother smiled with understanding; her smile held a kind of sense like she knew something that he didn't.

Feeling a little flustered. He excused himself and left to get ready. His thoughts were so distracted that he didn't even think or remember to ask about what happened to his uncle. Actually, he didn't even notice that his mother had not mentioned him. Little did he know that this information would later become very important and would somehow involve the very girl of whom his thoughts were occupied: Kahoko Hino.

* * *

Kahoko sneezed. 

"Ohh, Kaho-chan. I bet someone's thinking about you!" Mio teased.

"No, it's more likely that someone is talking behind my back," Kahoko laughed.

Kahoko, Nao, and Mio finished up their shopping and were walking along the sidewalk towards home. Their shopping trip had been very successful as well as extremely fun for Kahoko. She hadn't totally and completely let go and relax like this in ages.

It was about 5:00. Down the sidewalk, Keiichi and Shoko were walking up. Shoko shyly waved while Keiichi gave a vague acknowledgement.

"Fuyuumi-chan! Shimizu-kun! What are you doing here?" Kahoko greeted the quiet first years warmly.

At first, there was an awkward silence, while Shoko seemed to be trying to sort out what she wanted to say. However, when Nao cleared her throat (rather loudly), Keiichi sleepily held up a ticket.

Kahoko looked at it curiously. "What's this?"

Taking a deep breath, Shoko finally found courage enough to say, "Would you please go with us to this concert Senpai?" Shoko bowed her head down quickly as if waiting for some kind of reprimand. Instead, while Kahoko wasn't looking, Mio gave her a small wink; Shoko blushed violently.

"The concert…" Keiichi explained slowly, "Its repertoire isn't too long. It start at 6:00, and ends around 7:00." Keiichi felt himself nodding off, but a determined feeling told him he had to fight the sleepiness off.

"Eh?" Kahoko took the ticket from Keiichi's hand. It was a ticket for a concert featuring a famous quartet; the local symphony orchestra was playing with them. Kahoko looked back and forth between Mio, Nao, and the ticket. "I'm sorry guys, I'm out with Mio and Nao right now. I'm really happy that you invited me though."

"Kaho-chan, it's no problem! Go to the concert! We just finished anyways, right?" Mio encouraged; Nao nodded in agreement.

"But…what about the bags? I can't carry all these to a concert!"

Nao took them from her hand. "We'll drop them off on our way home! Please, don't worry about it!" She smiled as best as convincingly as she could.

At this point, Kahoko got the feeling that Mio and Nao were trying to get rid of her. She also had a feeling that they had something up their sleeve; she was almost afraid of what it was.

She gave in. "All right, I'll go with Shimizu-kun and Fuyuumi-chan then."

Shoko sighed. All day, she'd been so worried she would mess up, and now, the hardest part was finally over with! Now, they'd just go to the concert. Shoko hoped that her guilt from lying to her Senpai would fade away.

Keiichi looked at Kahoko, dazed. "I'm glad that Senpai…can go…with us…the program consists…of mostly Mozart."

On the way to the concert, Keiichi, continued to give a small history of Mozart while Shoko took deep breaths and tried to stay calm.

* * *

When Ryotaro was about to knock on the door, he did not expect for it to be answered by Len (and neither did Len for that matter). Ryotaro raised an eyebrow. Behind Len, Nao seemed to be pulling on the collar of Len's shirt, as if to pull him back. From behind, he heard Mio saying, "C'mon Tsukimori! You just got here! You can't leave!" 

Len scowled a little bit. As soon as he got there, he realized he was a bit early. After leaving his present on a table and sitting on the couch while Nao and Mio stared at him surprised, he finally ended up feeling like a total idiot and felt like he just could not say. But, now that Ryotaro was here, he couldn't run away now; he had to stand his ground.

"Ah, Tsuchiura, you're here. Good, then you can keep Tsukimori here from running away."

Ryotaro felt himself go into defensive mode. "Really? I didn't think that the proud Tsukimori would run away from a birthday party. It hasn't even started yet, and already he's scared."

Now Len couldn't take that. He _definitely_ couldn't leave now. The two continued in a sparring match with words. Nao and Mio watched them for a few minutes; they figured that as long as they didn't start beating each other up, things would be all right. When the boys had finally gotten the arguing out of their systems, Nao looked at the clock. She looked around. Half of everything was set up or at least they had everything; streamers, music, decorations, food…what was she forgetting?

"Oh shoot!!!" Nao screamed.

Mio looked over at her. "What is it Nao?"

"We forgot the cake!!"

The two started to panic. They still needed to finish setting up. They weren't going to have enough time to go get the cake! Then, Nao looked over at Ryotaro and Len, who seemed to be involved in a glaring contest.

She pointed determinedly at the two. "You! You guys will get the cake!"

They looked pack at her, taken aback. "What?!" They said at the same time.

"Well, we can't work with you two going at it, and what better way for you guys to help out than to get the cake. You two go get it! Here," Nao got some money from her pocket, "This should be enough. As for the flavor, any kind will be ok, Kaho-chan doesn't have a favorite; I'll leave it up to you guys."

Nao and Mio pushed the two out the door. "We're counting on you!" Nao shouted.

"Kaho-chan is counting on you!" Mio said, trying to give them a little more incentive.

Nao shut the door before Ryotaro or Len could protest. The two guys sighed; both glared at each other.

I'm not giving in to this guy… 

The two speed walked to the nearest bakery. At the bakery, there wasn't a line, so they went up immediately to the counter. The girl at the counter said, "Is there anything I can do for you today?"

At first, they didn't say anything because they were still glaring at each other. Finally, Ryotaro said, "We need a birthday cake for today."

"What would you like written on it, is just "Happy Birthday" ok?" she asked.

Now, Len spoke (which was rather sharply). "Yes, just please get it out as quickly as possible."

The girl felt a chill go up her spine. "Umm..ok, sure. What flavor?"

"Chocolate."

"Vanilla."

Both Ryotaro and Len said at the same time (respectively). Now, the two looked at each other even more seethingly. "Chocolate?" Len said. "Chocolate is too heavy right now for a birthday cake. Besides, plenty of people hate chocolate."

To this, Ryotaro replied, "How can you be saying that when you chose such a dull flavor. Vanilla? Oh please, that's barely exciting enough for a party."

Although neither of the boys really had anything against the other flavor, each one bickered while thinking, _I'm not letting this guy win!_

The counter girl looked at the two back and forth and groaned as she saw a line of angry customers building up behind them. _They're just lucky they're cute._

* * *

More Author's Notes: Ok, the last section was kind of inspired by this scene in Fruits Basket where Uo asked Yuki and Kyo what color the bathing suit for Tohru should be…I really just couldn't help myself! I had to put it in there!!! Chapter 4 should be coming…although I haven't started on it yet. However, it may be a little slow because I'm busy next week and I have to get ready for my trip to Shanghai and Singapore. But anyways, please review! 


	4. Movement IV

Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own La Corda D'oro or the characters and will never own them. I do own my original characters of which I do not feel like naming at the current moment, but it doesn't matter anyways though because this is a _disclaimer_.

Author's Note: It took a little bit of time, but here it is! Alright, I have noticed that lately, I have been neglecting any good Hihara and Yunoki bits. So, to satiate this, I have devoted more of this chapter to them! YAY! I wasn't neglecting them because I don't like them as much, but my writing denied me the hole to put them in (I love 'em both a whole big bunch…especially Hihara!). So, without further adieu, I give you chapter 4!

* * *

"Surprise!!!" 

Kahoko blinked at the scene before her. Colorful streamers as well as balloons lined the ceilings, walls, and tables. A number of people greeted Kahoko as she realized that this was a surprise birthday party.

"What do you think, Kaho-chan?" Nao said, putting a hand on Kahoko's shoulder.

Mio leaned on Kahoko's other shoulder. "Isn't it pretty?"

Kahoko felt herself get a little teary-eyed. "Mio…Nao…" she whispered. So this is what everything was about; the lunch thing, the concert…

"Hey, hey, hey!!" Nami said, while taking a picture. "You're not allowed to cry on your birthday!"

Kahoko smiled, knowing she was lucky to have friends like these.

* * *

Kazuki twirled his empty cup of punch on a table nervously. People were socializing around while pop music mixed in the background. A numerous amount of snacks were on the table (which Kazuki surprisingly did not totally engulf) and others seemed to be having a pretty nice time. Azuma walked up to his friend (again, detaching himself from fangirls), and with a small bit of amusement asked, "Hihara, what's wrong? This is a party; you're supposed to be having some fun." 

Kazuki sighed. He was extremely nervous about giving Kahoko the gift he had bought for her; he had been watching people (during a majority of the party) give their presents to Kahoko (there were too many people there to have a time where people would sit around and watch her open presents one by one). The present he bought was nothing really expensive or anything, due to his low budget, but still…for him, it kind of meant a little something.

"Nervous about giving your present to Hino-san?" Azuma implored.

Kazuki jumped up in his usual manner of embarrassment as his face turned red. "Ahhh! Right on the nose! How did you know?!"

Azuma chuckled a little bit. "Well, Hihara, we are friends; I know you better than you think I do."

Kazuki scratched his head a little bit. "Yeah, I suppose so."

For a moment, they allowed for there to be a little interlude while music and the bits of others' conversations traveled the room; Kazuki continued to twirl his cup nervously. One conversation caught Azuma's ear; it regarded the rumors of Kahoko's relationship with Ryotaro.

"I can't believe they won't just come out with it already! It's so, absolutely obvious that those two have something."

"Oh please, Hino and Tsuchiura are way too shy in matter of this kind of thing. Do you really think they would parade it around?"

"Yeah, yeah, I guess."

"Man, I'm soooo jealous of Hino, though! Because of the concours, she got to hang out with so many hot guys!"

"Especially Yunoki-senpai!"

At this part of the conversation, Azuma tuned out while the girls continued their giddy conversation about him; he didn't care to listen to any more stupidity. He knew both Kahoko, and even Ryotaro, well enough to know they couldn't be going out; especially since Kahoko was so dense (which made it all the more enjoyable to tease her). However, even with this knowledge, Azuma still felt himself feel a little uneasy with all these rumors spreading around like wildfire. One could say that he was possibly a little jealous, but he'd also never admit that out loud. He looked over to his friend, Kazuki. He was getting bored already; perhaps he could try stirring up a little something…especially since there was still something that caught Azuma's inquisitiveness. Usually in this type of thing, he preferred to keep Kazuki out of it just out of respect. Nevertheless, Azuma's curiosity bested him.

"Hihara, can I ask you something?"

Kazuki stopped twirling his cup. "Sure, what?"

"Have you ever thought about telling Hino-san how you feel?"

Azuma let the question hang in the air while Kazuki proceeded to turn several different shades of red (many of which Azuma wasn't sure if he had seen on a person's face before).

"I…uh…er…well…haha…um…why? Wait…I…nyah…" Kazuki babbled. Azuma inwardly admitted that he thoroughly enjoyed this. He liked watching people squirm when asked an uncomfortable question, however, he decided to lighten up a little bit.

"It's alright if you don't want to answer. Don't worry about it, Hihara," Azuma smiled.

Kazuki calmed down a little bit. He thought to himself that he was lucky he had a friend who wouldn't force him to answer something he didn't want to. Still, Kazuki did need to let this one off his chest, and who better to tell than his best friend?

"I…I tried once before…today actually. But…I got interrupted…and…scared…I don't think I should tell her anything…but at the same time, what if I regret it? What if she doesn't feel the same? What if it ruins our friendship? What if we never talk again? What if-" Kazuki proceeded to talk faster and faster with the endless possibilities of bad outcomes. Azuma finally stopped him before the poor guy ran out of breath.

Kazuki almost fell over. He liked Kahoko; he liked her a lot. He maybe even loved her.

Azuma felt himself get a little tense. He always felt this tenseness whenever he saw Kazuki acting this way around Kahoko. While Kahoko was fun to tease and play with, he never questioned his feelings about her. He saw her as Kahoko: his plaything. Right? Anyways, he knew at this moment, he needed to turn on his "Polite and good friend" mode for Kazuki.

"Hihara, if you really have feelings for someone, you'll regret it more if you don't tell them anything. Because, something is bound to happen that will make it impossible for you to ever have a chance to tell them ever again." The last part, Azuma admitted he said a bit darkly, but of most of these kinds of situations, it was the truth.

Azuma surprised Kazuki with the darkness of the last part of his advice, but Kazuki knew that what Azuma said was true. Kazuki would regret it more if he never told her, wouldn't he? It'd be worse. Kahoko wouldn't hate him for expressing what he felt; she wasn't that kind of person. Kahoko was definitely a more understanding person than that; of that, Kazuki was positive.

Kazuki smiled at his friend. "Thank you, Yunoki. I'll take those words to heart." Kazuki bounced away in his usual activeness leaving Yunoki open for another swarm of girls to get a chance to talk to him.

_Let's see what happens…_

* * *

"Kahoko-chan!" 

"Eh…Okaasan? Oneechan?" Kahoko looked curiously at her mother and older sister who stood before her with an envelope.

"Kahoko-chan," said her sister. "This is your birthday gift."

Her mother handed Kahoko the envelope. Kahoko opened it and pulled out a brochure as well as other papers and things. Tickets maybe?

"We're giving you a trip for your school vacation!" her mother said.

Kahoko, Nao, and Mio all looked at Kahoko's mother and sister in shock. "What?!"

"Yup, you're brother, sister, and I all pitched in a bit. We decided to give you this! The trip is a couple days at a beach area. The hotel isn't exactly five stars, but it isn't a motel either. You can bring along 9 people with you! Doesn't it sound fun Kahoko-chan?"

Kahoko still had her face in shocked. "Okaasan, you spent so much money on me? Just for a birthday gift? How…why…so much??"

At this, her sister chimed in, "Well, lately...actually… for the past year, we've been noticing you locking yourself up in your room more often and stressing out and working really hard! We just want you to have some more time to relax and have fun!"

Kahoko felt herself laugh a little bit. It was at this time she noticed that she never officially declared to any of her family members that she played an instrument. Oops…

"We always wonder what you do after school so often and things! It worries me!" Kahoko's mother dramatized.

"Eh? You didn't know?" Mio said.

"Kaho-chan plays the violin," Nao explained.

0.o

The realization hit both family members like a ton of bricks, however, it was much better this than other guesses the two had imaginatively created (which ranged from drug dealing to a boyfriend). Kahoko's mother hugged her with relief.

"You're brother will come later to wish you a happy birthday," her mother said.

Kahoko sighed. She got the feeling that her mother had probably assumed something outrageous about her staying after school and in her room all the time. Still, that was her family.

* * *

"Erm…Hino-chan?" Kazuki said nervously to Kahoko at the small moment that she was alone. 

"Yes, Hihara-senpai?"

Kazuki flinched a little bit as he looked at her smiling at him; why did her smile have to be so…cute?

"Well, I bought this last minute but…I…" He held up his present. The wrapping was slightly messy, but as was many things that Kazuki did; Kahoko respected that.

"Thank you so much, Hihara-senpai. I can't wait to open it later."

At first, Kazuki felt relieved that she wouldn't be opening it in front of him so that he wouldn't have to deal with the nervousness first hand of her reaction to his gift, however, how would he know how she felt if he wasn't there to see her open it?

"Uh...later?"

"Yes…you see, I'm not opening my presents until later…when the party is over and everyone is gone. It's a little easier for me that way to just open them all at once, but without making people wait for me to open them. Y'know?"

Kazuki nodded, with his usual slight tone of red he always got when he was around her. "Yes…I…I guess so." He smiled at her and ran off. "I'll see you at the cake-cutting, Hino-chan."

Kahoko looked at him strangely; he always had the most abrupt exitings.

* * *

"Hey! Tsuchiura and Tsukimori are here!" Nami announced. 

And indeed, Ryotaro and Len came into the house with Ryotaro bearing a white box (obviously a cake).

"Finally! What in the world took you two so long?!!" Nao reprimanded.

The two guys gave each other one last glare before sighing from tiredness and simply handed the box over to Mio who took it to a large table. After almost an hour and another counter girl taking in a second line for the rest of the customers, the first counter girl forced for them to choose something before she had to kick them out. Neither was happy about having to compromise; but considering the circumstances, it was needed.

Kahoko went up to the two smiling. "I'm glad you two could come!" she exclaimed. She was especially surprised with Len's presence. She didn't think that parties were really something he did.

"I was glad to come," Ryotaro said, smiling back. Len on the other hand simply nodded; he walked past the two and went off somewhere else. "Pshh.." Ryotaro said, frowning at Len's back. "Figures."

"No, no," said Kahoko. "It's alright. He's always like that, you know him." Kahoko understood that Len's response could've been much worse than simply walking away and nodding. He could've done it ever more coldly if he wanted to; usually, she felt a shiver go up her spine whenever he walked past her, but not this time.

"Cake!!!!!!!" Mio yelled as she opened the box and put it on a large cake plate.

People gathered around the table with Kahoko at the head. Mio and Nao were at her sides; Nao put candles in the cake and lit them while someone else dimmed the lights.

"Make a wish, Kaho-chan," Mio grinned.

Kahoko nodded happily. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and blew with all her might. Everyone cheered. Kahoko proceeded to cut the cake; the cake was two flavors: the top half was vanilla while the bottom half was chocolate. Kahoko really loved these kinds of cakes; even though she normally didn't favorite things, she really liked these two flavors. Especially when they were together. After the cake was all cut and everyone had their piece, people circulated more and talked more. Kahoko couldn't help but think it was the best cake she had ever eaten.

* * *

Additional Notes: This chapter wasn't as long as 2 or 3...but oh well. That's how it was. That's how it is. I haven't started Chapter 5 yet, but I hope to get it in before I leave. 


	5. Movement V

Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda D'oro, its characters, or any other stuff.

Author's Note: Hmm…ok. Recently, I noticed that Hihara, in the series, starts calling Kahoko "Kaho-chan", and so, the change will be made presently from here on out. Don't pay too much heed on it, I just wanted you guys to know that I know full well what I am doing; just pretend that he has been all along through the story. Oh…and also…I was rereading my story, and I noticed that in chapter 2, I accidentally switched between Kanazawa and Hiroto a lot by accident! Sorry guys! That's what happens when I don't proofread enough! It's changed for future readers.

Note on Ousaki: Hmm…I wasn't really sure if Shinobu Ousaki knew anything about Lili or anything, but I wanted to input him somewhere, so I'm pretending he knows as much about Lili as Kanazawa knows. Oh yeah…and I wasn't sure how Ousaki and Kanazawa refer to each other, so I just decided that they call each other by just last names…sorry if it's not right! I'm just far to lazy right now to check if it is because I've been kinda sinking ever since my writer's block kicked in.

* * *

"Oy, Ousaki!" Hiroto called. He had been sitting on a bench in a park nearby school for a while and had been watching the sunset. This action surprised even him; he'd never been that bored before.

"What are you doing here?" Shinobu asked with his normal friendliness.

"Eh…just watching the sunset," Hiroto said lazily.

"I didn't know you were so romantic," Shinobu joked a little.

Hiroto pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He stared at it for a moment, then suddenly threw it on the ground and stepped on it.

"Wow," Shinobu said, sitting down on the bench with Hiroto. "So you really are quitting, aren't you?"

"Eh…gradually. I'm not good at quitting things cold turkey."

For a moment, they just sat there, looking out to the sky; both minds wondering about the same thing.

"Ousaki, you got a letter about **it**…didn't you?"

Shinobu looked over at Hiroto and considered for a moment what in the world he was talking about. Then…

"Oh, you call **him** an it? That's not very nice, Kanazawa," Shinobu said. "Yes, I got a little memo about it. It looks like Kahoko Hino has another trial ahead of her."

"Yeah, it looks like. I wonder if any of the other students who were in the concurs had any idea about **it**."

"No, I doubt that, Kanazawa. I don't think that Hino thinks that anyone would believe her. Besides, I don't think there's anyone who quite as attuned to **him** as she is."

Again, the two looked on to the sky, then, suddenly, Shinobu started to laugh. Hiroto looked over to him, puzzled.

"What are you laughing about?"

"I was just imagining how Hihara and Tsukimori-kun would react to **him**," Shinobu said, wiping his eyes.

Hiroto had to admit that the idea was laughable. "Hihara would probably panic and make a big deal while Tsukimori would probably think he was having some kind of twisted dream."

Shinobu thought to himself for a moment. "I think she'll be fine."

"Hm?" Hiroto said, looking at Shinobu again, puzzled.

"Kahoko Hino. I think she'll be fine."

Hiroto looked down at the cigarette he had smudged out.

"Yeah…I think so too."

* * *

Azuma watched Kazuki pace back and forth for several minutes before he finally had to ask, "Hihara, did something happen?"

Kazuki looked up at Azuma nervously. "Something…happen? Haha..no! Of course not!! Nothing at all! I'm absolutely fine!!!"

And technically, that was the truth. Nothing happened; that was just it, nothing at all. After Kazuki gave Kahoko his present, he just ran away, not thinking or knowing what else to say. Now, everyone already finished their cake and people were starting to leave…and Kazuki still hadn't said anything of substance to Kahoko.

From Kazuki's expression, Azuma suspected this much. He sighed to himself and was silently disappointed that catastrophic or at least troubling results had not happened. As of now, Azuma felt exceptionally bored. Watching Kazuki pace back and forth nervously could only be entertaining for a few minutes; after awhile, it got old.

"Hihara, maybe we should get going. You seem like you could use some rest," Azuma suggested.

Kazuki looked at him and nodded. Maybe he did need rest…maybe another day…

"Kahoko!!" someone screamed.

Kazuki and Azuma looked towards the source and saw Kahoko falling backwards from the top of the stairwell.

* * *

Kahoko waved good-bye to the trailing of guests out the door. Kahoko felt herself gain a slight sugar rush from the cake and felt quite a bit hyper. She, Nao, and Mio had been laughing and joking around. She remembered seeing Len give her strange looks as she was with Nao and Mio. It was slightly amusing that she realized that he'd never seen her that excited or hyper before. It made her feel a little wild. And…speaking of the devil, he was walking up to her now with a present in hand.

"Hino-san…"

"Ah, Tsukimori-kun! Thank you for coming!" Kahoko smiled happily.

Len looked at her. Admittedly, he'd never seen her this happy before, and also, he found it…what did he find it? Interesting? …Fun even? What was he thinking?

_What is wrong with me these days?_

"This," he said, handing her the bag, "is for you. Happy Birthday."

Kahoko paused for a moment before taking it. The way he said "Happy Birthday" just then didn't sound like the normal Len that she knew. It sounded…lighter perhaps? Kinder maybe?

"Ah…Thank you…Tsukimori...-kun." Kahoko watched him walk out the door; she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Kaho-channnnnnnnn…hello…?" Mio said, waving her hand in front of Kahoko's face. Kahoko glanced over at Mio.

"Eh?"

"You were spacing out and blushing at the same time!" Nao pointed out.

Kahoko felt herself panic a little bit. "No I wasn't! I was just…I don't know. I guess I was just over excited from everything."

"Kahokoooo!" she heard her sister and mother calling her. "Help!"

Kahoko ran upstairs to find the two attempting to pick up a couch from the hallway, which had been moved to make more room for guests, but since people were leaving now, they figured they'd try to get it downstairs. However, the job obviously seemed too much for them.

"Alright, I'll help you get it to the top of the stairwell, but there's really no need to bring it downstairs yet! Geez, you guys should've waited until everyone was gone."

The three walked the couch further down the hallway; Kahoko was the one walking backwards with her mother and sister on the other side.

"Kahoko, I didn't know you had so many guy friends!" her sister commented while still carrying the couch.

"And so many handsome ones! Especially that one with the long hair! What did I hear his name was, Azuma Yunoki?" Her mother chimed in as they reached the top of the stairs.

Kahoko felt herself become unbalanced at this statement, her foot slipped underneath her.

"Kahoko!!" her mother screamed.

For a moment, Kahoko was simply in mid-air and looking at the ceiling, and…it actually felt a little thrilling, although less than half a second later, it registered in her mind that she would eventually hit the ground…hard. Kahoko braced herself for the impact.

Conversely, Kahoko didn't land on what she thought she would land on.

"Tsuchiura!" Kahoko heard Nao say. Kahoko flipped herself over, and suddenly realized that she was on top of Ryotaro (and was also pinning him on the floor).

"Are you guys all right?"

"What happened?"

"What's going on?"

People started to crowd around them, but Kahoko failed to notice. A flash from a camera dawned on her, but she still failed to intake the situation. She felt completely dazed; it wasn't until Mio helped her up that Kahoko realized that she had still been pinning down Ryotaro.

"I-I-"

"Kaho-chan!" Kazuki yelled. "Are you all right?! You fell and then the thing and then…" Kazuki babbled on and fussed over her while Kahoko's mother and sister made their way around the couch and back downstairs.

"Ah…Hino," Ryotaro said. "I…I need to get up."

"Oh! S-sorry!" Kahoko said, getting off him. She didn't know why, but suddenly, she had really mixed feelings. Maybe it was because she never realized how warm Ryotaro's body felt. In fact, it had been rather comforting.

"Good save, Tsuchiura-san," Azuma commented as Ryotaro got up.

"Erm…yeah. I guess," Ryotaro said, glancing over to Kahoko (who was still in shock).

"Tsuchiura-kuuuun…you're blushing," said a familiar singsong voice from behind him.

"Lay off, Amou!"

Nami stuck her tongue out at him and pranced away, hugging her camera like it was the most precious treasure in the world.

_Damn, that girl can really be annoying sometimes…_

Ryotaro sighed and was about to head out.

"Hey, Tsuchiura!" Nao called after him. "Don't leave yet, Kahoko is gonna want to thank you, y'know?"

"It's all right, we'll see each other at school anyways. It'll be fine."

Nao sighed and thought to herself that this proved her theories of guys being able to sense awkward situations and avoiding them. She watched Ryotaro walk off into the darkness and wondered if Kahoko would really end up with that guy.

_Well, I guess we'll see what we shall see…_

On that thought, Nao returned to check on Kahoko and see if she was all right.

* * *

Ryotaro glanced at his watch; he had not expected for the party to run so late. It was pretty dark out, and after the stairs incident, Ryotaro seemed to be a little zoned-out. When he saw her falling he just moved as fast as he could to where she would be, and just allowed her to land on him. Idiotically, he hadn't even thought to put his arms out to actually attempt catching her instead of just letting her fall on him. However, Kahoko falling on him…it was just as Kazuki had said that night at Shoko Fuyuumi's family's villa; girls are soft.

_Ahh...what am I thinking?_

Ryotaro looked further on the streets and saw Len Tsukimori walking further down. For a moment, Ryotaro felt his blood rush up a little bit with its usual annoyance whenever he saw Len, but, it died down.

_I don't want to talk to that guy anyways. Besides, I'm turning the corner here._

Just as he was about to turn, something happened to stop Ryotaro in his tracks. A girl suddenly hugged (well actually, more attacked) Len out of nowhere, clearly catching him by surprise and causing him to fall over. Ryotaro saw Len look at the girl and recognize her with more annoyance than Len had for Ryotaro himself. Ryotaro distinctly heard him yelling at her while the girl smiled sheepishly. He had never seen Len that animated before.

_His girlfriend?_

Ryotaro played with that idea in his mind. No…it couldn't be. Someone as cold and arrogant as that guy couldn't possibly have such a hyper girlfriend, right? Ryotaro decided to forget about it and walked on home. It was none of his business anyways.

* * *

"Ahhhh…Why me?" Kahoko complained.

"So, when you were…er…on top of him…was it really that weird. I mean, afterwards, both of you guys were blushing as if you'd both just done something naughty," Nao said.

"Nao!" Kahoko said, surprised at her friend's use of that kind of humor.

Nao and Mio were sleeping over. After the falling incident, Kahoko had gotten a small tremor in her body while being on top of Ryotaro.

Why do I feel so weird?? 

Mio watched Kahoko think. "It's not such a big deal, Kaho-chan. Just make sure you thank him for catching you later."

Kahoko sighed, knowing Mio was right. Ryotaro had left too soon for her to even thank him. She found herself blushing again at the remembrance at how warm he was.

Why do I have to have so many hormones? 

"Stop worrying so much!" Nao said, flicking Kahoko on the head. "C'mon, let's watch the movie." Nao popped a DVD in.

Yes…Kahoko really shouldn't worry so much about it, right? She just fell on him! When you fall on someone, it's not a big deal.

_He saved me again_.

She thought. He had a habit of that, didn't he? He always saved her in difficult situations. Kahoko got up to turn out the lights and proceeded to watch the movie with Nao and Mio.

* * *

…

_Kahoko Hino is my key to finding __**it**__…for sure…_

…

* * *

More Author's Note: Ok…this was an exceptionally bad chapter; it's another transition chapter. Ugh…I'm sorry for how horrible this turned out. But, after thinking and rethinking many many times, I found that I couldn't right it any other way. Oh yes…and I'm also sorry for the corny crypticness of the end…hehehe…but I needed to input that to remind people of the whole fairy hunter concept. Sooo…I will not be able to update this story until after August 11th, because that is when I'm returning from my trip. I'm leaving July 19th, (which as of now, is a couple of days ahead) so I'm sorry! Please be patient! I will update when I get back!

Good-bye for now!


	6. Movement VI

Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda D'oro or any of its characters.

Author's Note: Ok, on my trip, I was able to write most of chapter 6, but, unfortunately, I couldn't really write another one. Sorry guys! I was really hoping I could, but chapter 6 proved to give me much trouble. BUT, it turned out to be longer than my other chapters. Actually, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Well, before I bore you guys, I'll just set this chapter up for you.

* * *

"Did you see it?"

"Yeah, I know!"

"Why don't they just admit they're going out already?"

"I wish I had a heroic guy like that…"

"They're so perfect for each other!"

Kahoko thought she was about to bust nerve. As soon as she had walked on the school grounds, she could hear a constant whisper about her. She caught bits and pieces of conversations, but only enough to determine that it was another rumor about her and Ryotaro.

"What could it be this time?" she wondered, although on the other hand, she got the feeling that maybe she didn't want to know.

"Kaho-chan!"

She saw Mio coming up to her.

"Hi, Mio," Kahoko said warily; Mio had a troubled look on her face.

"Kaho-chan, have you seen today's school newspaper yet?"

Kahoko raised an eyebrow, "Uhm…no? Why?"

Mio reluctantly handed her a copy and told her to check out the gossip section. It only took one glance for Kahoko's face to turn completely and utterly red.

"What the-?!"

* * *

"Amou!!!!!" Ryotaro yelled. Nami cringed a little. She looked behind her to find a rather menacing Ryotaro looking down at her. She laughed sheepishly.

"Hello, Tsuchiura-kun. How are you this morning?"

He glared. "I'd be a whole lot better if it weren't for this!" He slammed the picture of Kahoko sitting over him in Nami's face. In many aspects, it looked rather suggestive. The caption read, "Voted Cutest Couple".

Nami took in her situation and noted that all was worth it to see Ryotaro this flustered.

"Oh c'mon, it's not my fault you guys were voted cutest couple."

"But we're not even a couple!" Ryotaro retorted, trying to cool down. "And what's with this picture?"

"Well, we needed a picture of you guys together, and that scene at the party looked like the perfect opportunity and…" Nami trailed off.

Ryotaro gave her a look that was filled with total irritation. She looked back with a feeling of rebellion.

"It's not like you guys don't feel anything for each other! I doubt you guys would do anything if it weren't for all these little pushes people have been giving you! Hino is too dense about these things anyway!" Nami scolded.

Ryotaro couldn't think of anything to come back with. Besides, part of it was true; Kahoko really was completely dense about these things.

"Whatever," he said slightly dejected and walking away in defeat. Nami sensed her victory and smiled; she got the feeling those two would get together sooner or later, or at least Kahoko would be with _someone_. Kahoko had too many unfortunate suitors for her to not end up with anyone by the end of the school year. They were unfortunate due to Kahoko's obliviousness to their feelings for her and possibly even oblivious to her feelings for them.

Nami sighed.

"I guess it's just all in the game!"

She skipped off down the hallway and looked for another interesting story to obsess over.

Ryotaro, on the other hand, was not so happy to just skip off without so much as a care in the world. He wasn't even sure if he could skip.

He knew for sure that now, everyone was going to bug him, GenEd students and Music students alike; he hated gossip. He wasn't so much annoyed with the actual idea of going out with her so much as that it was untrue. Ryotaro reflected on his situation; really, one was supposed to ignore it and just hope people would eventually forget about it as they usually did. Then again, how long would that be? Seiso wasn't exactly the most exciting school in the world; that's why the Ryotaro-Kahoko rumor was so big.

Letting his mind wander a bit, Ryotaro imagined a situation where he and Kahoko were actually going out. Walking together, eating together, holding hands….kissing………

_Wait a minute. Back up. _

What was he thinking? That was…it…it was impossible. Kahoko Hino, his girlfriend? He hadn't even done most of that stuff with his previous girlfriend, Mizue. No matter his feelings for Kahoko, she didn't feel the same way or anything, right? Although, there were times when Ryotaro thought that Kahoko stared back at him when he was doing the same, or times when she blushed during any accidental physical contact such as a brush of his hand on hers…

Ryotaro sighed. What a problem this was. He tried to picture a scenario where he asked Kahoko out and allowed the gossipers to reign true.

…

_Oh forget it…_

He looked at his watch; it was time for his next class. He headed off and throughout the rest of the day, attempted to avoid thinking about his inner turmoil.

* * *

Azuma flipped carelessly through his school newspaper while fully doubting that there was anything of interest.

It was currently lunch time. People were mostly eating in the classrooms; however, Azuma and Kazuki were eating on the roof. Kazuki had been neglecting practice at home and needed to at least warm-up since he had orchestra club that afternoon; so Azuma, being the "friend" he was (and because he was not in the mood to deal with the tittering of his mindless fan girls) stayed with him to keep Kazuki company. They sat while Kazuki continued to eat.

Then, something in the paper caught his attention. In the gossip section, one particular picture stood out.

_How interesting…I wonder…"_

"Hmmm…"

"What is it, Yunoki?" Kazuki asked innocently after having just finished gobbling down his food so he'd have time to practice.

Azuma feigned to be uncomfortable to Kazuki's question.

"Well…it was just something in the paper….but it's-"

"Oh, let me see! They haven't printed anything interesting in the paper for a while," Kazuki said excitedly while taking the paper from Azuma's hands. "I wonder if it has anything to do with-"

Kazuki's expression dropped considerably as well as his morale when he saw the picture.

"Kaho-chan and…"

To Azuma's surprise, Kazuki did not start babbling and freaking out. Kazuki did not start a line of questions or jump up and down in anxiousness; he just sat there and looked at the picture.

"Hihara…?" Azuma said carefully, "Are you all right?"

It took awhile for Kazuki to notice that Azuma had asked him a question. It seemed that he was still processing the contents of the picture. In his mind, the same thought repeated over and over again.

_Kaho-chan and Tsuchiura-kun…Tsuchiura-kun and Kaho-chan…together?"_

The thought was almost dizzying.

"Hihara, you realize they're not really a couple. The paper is always looking for interesting things to print. You know media type things; always jumping to conclusions."

"Eh?" Kazuki said, as if he had not heard him. "Oh, yeah…right…"

Azuma observed his friend more closely. "Are you all right?" Azuma asked again.

Kazuki tried jump starting himself up again and halfheartedly put on a smile.

"Yes! I'm fine!! Why wouldn't I be? Just another silly rumor, right?" Kazuki looked like he was trying to convince himself more than trying to convince Azuma. Kazuki jumped up and took up his trumpet. "I better start practicing."

Azuma nodded. Inwardly, he regretted messing with Kazuki; even he did not agree with being this cruel. Azuma had not realized that Kazuki liked Kahoko that much; he scolded his curiosity.

The sound of Kazuki's trumpet echoed through Azuma's ears. It was rather more somber sounding and thin than Azuma had ever heard Kazuki played before. Kazuki himself looked incredibly more distracted and seemed to almost be forgetting that he was playing his trumpet. Azuma did not speak of the picture or the paper anymore.

* * *

A rather strange scene played before Kahoko on her way to the practice rooms. Right smack dab in the middle of the hallway stood Len Tsukimori and a third year GenEd girl, of whom Kahoko barely recognized from random sightings at school. The strangest thing about this situation was not so much that a GenEd student was talking to Len in the music school (since Kahoko and Ryotaro were usually the only GenEd students to ever come to the music school hallways), but that she was on the floor and hugging on to Len's feet as if her life depended on it. Len looked extremely unpleased; in fact, for him, this was downright embarrassing.

"Please, please, please, please, please?! I promise it'll just be for today! Just today! Please?" she begged, clutching tighter to Len.

"I have no obligation to do such things in the first place. Why do you expect me to?" he asked rather ruthlessly, but still trying to keep himself composed.

The girl tried putting on her best adorable face. "Because you love me?"

Kahoko felt something grip her heart.

Len gave her a face that practically proclaimed to the world, "In what instance would that ever be possible?"

Kahoko felt relief.

The girl tried again. "Because I have something extremely important things to do, and if I don't do it, I'll tell your mother what an incompetent and inhospitable host you are!"

At this point, a person with the temper of Len Tsukimori would have exploded. However, most of the people with Len's temper did not have his training in manners or his constant need for detachment from people. So, this resulted in Len just quietly exploding inside rather than allowing anything to show. Kahoko noticed this and had to give him kudos for it.

"Since we're not even home," Len said evenly and coolly, "I don't think I am required to act hospitable…at least not to you."

Kahoko, even from the end of the hallway, felt a shiver go up her spine from the chilliness of the answer.

It looked like Len had won this argument; conversely, there was no such luck for Len on that day. The girl abruptly pulled Len down on his knees and whispered something in his ear, causing his brow to furrow a little bit and his expression to become beaten. The odd couple stared at each other for a good five minutes (well, actually, Len gave the girl a more searing glare than an actual look) before finally, Len gave in.

"Fine…" he muttered. He disliked losing; he disliked it very much.

The girl's eyes lit up as she jumped from the floor and attacked Len in a monstrous hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Not knowing quite why, Kahoko felt like she was intruding on something. In fact, Kahoko would have just left silently and forgotten about her lesson with Len if Shoko had not crept out of one of the practice rooms at that very moment.

Shoko looked a bit frightened causing Kahoko to wonder if Shoko heard the two arguing from inside the practice rooms. No…she couldn't have; the practice rooms were sound proof. Then again…the girl had been begging louder than any instrument Kahoko had ever heard.

Shoko spotted Kahoko and sighed in relief. Quickly, Shoko walked over to her and said, "Hello, Hino-senpai."

Kahoko laughed a little bit and put on a smile. "Hello, Fuyuumi-chan."

At the sound of Kahoko's name as well as her voice, Len looked at Kahoko in hidden, but still completely mortified, shock. Kahoko (the girl he was slightly sure, yet too proud to admit, he had a crush on) stood there and viewed one of the most humiliating moments of his life. He quickly pushed the annoyance off of himself and brushed his uniform off.

Again trying to compose himself, Len calmly said, "Hello, Hino-san." He acknowledged Shoko as well. "I'm sorry; I didn't see you there."

Both Kahoko and Shoko nodded and peered over to the mystery girl who was also brushing herself off. The girl seemed very…well…cute looking. She was cute in the sense that she looked like a child; not a child because of her height or body type, but because of the look of naïveté in her facial expression. Neither girl ever thought that in a million years they'd see Len interacting with a person like this; Len was just too much of a serious person. The girl brushed her fingers through her raven black hair and straightened out. She looked up at Kahoko and smiled brightly.

"Ah, Len, who are they? Are they your friends?"

Kahoko stiffened. Shoko blushed, even though it wasn't even Shoko who was being called by first name.

_First name terms? Who in the world is this girl?_

Len exhaled. Unenthusiastically, he began to introduce them. "Seoko, this is Kahoko Hino and Shoko Fuyuumi. Both were participants in the interschool concours, remember? Len gave Seoko an expectant look as if Seoko should have known such general information. Seoko just shrugged; Len continued. "Hino-san, Fuyuumi-san, this is Seoko Shima…my older cousin."

Kahoko felt a little bit more relaxed to hear Len say that this girl, who seemed so familiar with Len, was only his cousin. Feeling more cheerful, Kahoko smiled and bowed. "It's nice to meet you, Shima-san."

Seoko bowed politely back. Shoko bowed nervously. "Ah," said Kahoko. "Fuyuumi-chan is normally shy like this."

Seoko smiled even more broadly. "But it's really cute."

Shoko blushed fervently. "Ahh…I'm sorry. I need to go…good-bye!" She left in a rush and left just Len, Seoko, and Kahoko.

_And then there were three…_

"Anyways, it's nice to meet you too, Kaho-chan."

Kahoko felt a little taken aback by that.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that I believe I've heard your friends calling you that before. I've seen you around school before. And…" Seoko looked at Kahoko curiously for a moment, then, a face of recognition appeared. "Ahah! You were in the school newspaper today! You were with that guy, Ryotaro Tsuchiura, right? Yeah! You guys were voted cutest couple! Congratulations!!" she said rather excitedly, as if she was meeting someone famous.

Kahoko blushed. "Oh…you….saw that?" She managed a nervous laugh. "Well it-"

"With who?" Len butted in, to Kahoko's surprise.

"Ryotaro Tsuchiura! He's this one athletic GenEd-" Seoko explained, but Len interrupted yet again.

"I know who he is," he said curtly. "But how-"

However, Len caught himself before he finished his question. He felt some blood rush to his head; he had almost revealed himself. Indeed, Len was jealous as well as curious. Couple? Ryotaro and Kahoko? No. That couldn't be. Len was sure of it…well…almost. Len had not heard of this before; this was mostly because of Len's chosen ignorance to practically all gossip. He also did not read the school paper since it usually held nothing of interest to him. Perhaps he should've been checking into these things a little bit more often…

Trying to save himself, Len turned away and began to walk towards his reserved practice room.

"Hino, we should get started. We've already wasted a lot of time."

Kahoko and Seoko stared at Len. Seoko voiced both of their feelings perfectly.

"Errr…"

Neither girl had expected Len to react to something so trivial. Still, Kahoko felt as if she had to defend herself against the accusations of her dating Ryotaro to Len; she felt as if Len needed to know that those rumors were untrue. Why? Why would Len care? Why should she care what Len thought about it?

Now both Len and Kahoko looked like they were embarrassed.

"Uhmm…ok…I'll just drop Saki off later and be off. Bye!" Seoko said hurriedly and ran off leaving the two in her dust. Both Len and Kahoko had not heard what Seoko said, and it also took the two awhile to figure out that Seoko's presence was no longer among them since both were deep in thought.

Len turned his head. "Hino, let's go."

Kahoko jumped a little bit. "Eh? Oh, yes. You're right. Let's get started."

_And then there were two…_

While the two were both in the practice room and getting out their instruments, they did not talk. Somehow, an awkward air drifted in between the two creating a kind of barrier. Kahoko felt extremely uncomfortable with the silence, but couldn't think of anything to say.

Len was used to silence as well as uncomfortable ones since most of the silences he ever went through were instigated by none other than himself. But, this silence also made him uncomfortable. He needed to ask her if that was true; no, he wanted to ask her if it was true. Len Tsukimori did not need to know these kinds of things. Need and want were two different things. Besides, it wasn't his business who Kahoko dated or did not date. It should not concern him. Still, he found himself asking, "Why were you and Tsuchiura in the paper?"

"Well that…you know it was-" Kahoko struggled with her words "…sometimes the paper…well it-" But before Kahoko could sputter out a decent explanation or at least a full sentence, there was a small rap on the door. A small face peered in the window.

Len sighed and unwillingly went and opened the door. Standing at the doorway was a little girl who didn't look like she could be more than eight years old. Her curly black hair was put into pigtails making her look like a cute little doll.

"Hino-san, this is my younger cousin…Saki Shima; she's Seoko's younger sister."

Kahoko bent down toward Saki and gave the little girl her best happy face. "Hello Saki-chan. It's nice to meet you!" Saki looked shyly at Kahoko's hand and bowed. White bandages on Saki's hands caught Kahoko's eye.

_Aww…that looks like such a bad burn. Poor girl._

"Seoko wanted me to watch her until one of her friends picks up Saki to go to a doctor's appointment," Len explained.

Kahoko nodded and stood up straight. So that was what they were arguing about. It figured as much; Len didn't work well with children.

"Does Saki-chan play an instrument?" she asked, considering the kind of family Saki must have had with an aunt and uncle like Len's parents.

Len's mind rendered a blank. Did Saki play an instrument? Truth be told, he didn't know Saki well because she was younger and so shy. They had never really spoken very much; actually, they didn't speak at all.

Anyhow, Saki nodded to Kahoko's question before Len could confess that he didn't know. And…for the first time since Len could remember, Saki opened her mouth to speak.

"I play the…violin." Saki hesitated on the last word, as if feeling a little guilty for something. She glanced down at her hands for a split second, but quickly looked up again.

"Well then, this is perfect, isn't it?" Kahoko said looking at Len. He didn't say anything, but instead held his violin up and began to tune. Kahoko sighed.

_Definitely a Len Tsukimori type response…_

Kahoko proceeded to tune her own instrument (now having mastered the skill with Len's and Shinobu's help). Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lili peering at them from behind a few books. Normally, Lili would simply sit on the edge of the book shelf without hiding since no one but Kahoko could see him. However, Kahoko had been seeing less and less of him lately. She guessed that it was because of the fairy hunter that still happened to be at large. She felt guilty about not making a greater effort for the situation, but what could she do? There were too many students in the school to make any kind of investigation, and even if there wasn't, how would she even go about doing it? Plus, she wouldn't really be able to have any help besides Hiroto, but as proved during the concours, he was not very skilled at assisting in these kinds of things.

"Hino?" Len questioned, trying to get Kahoko out of her small daze.

"Sorry."

Kahoko began playing, struggling, flying, mastering, and also sliding. All and more were included in most of Len's and Kahoko's practices together.

In-between one of the etudes, Kahoko looked over at Saki to check on her. On her little chair and sitting quietly, Saki looked in wonder over to the bookshelf. Kahoko nervously followed her gaze.

_What? No…it can't be…I must be imagining it…_

Kahoko continued with her piece, but was still distracted by her suspicions which earned her several annoyed looks from Len. He looked at his watch.

"It's time to finish now anyways. I hope you don't practice alone distracted."

Kahoko bowed. "I'm sorry! I'll do better next time!"

"Hn…"

Len walked out the room with his violin in hand while Saki silently followed. Her head turned as she walked out, still looking at that same spot.

When both Len and Saki had cleared the room, Kahoko whispered under her breath, "Lili, was it just my imagination, or did you notice it too?"

Lili nodded. "No, you weren't imagining things, I saw it too." Lili flew over to her shoulder. "That little girl, Saki…she could see me."

* * *

More Author's Notes: Phew! I can't believe this turned out to be so long! At first, before editing, it was the normal 7 page length on Word, but after editing…well…look at it! Hehe. Well, I hope it was alright, even though half of it was written in the midst of depression. Please give me your thoughts (and don't just praise it, criticize it too! If it sucked, tell me it sucked and tell me why so I a fix it or keep it in mind for future chapters!). 


	7. Movement VII

Disclaimer: I do not nor have I ever owned any of the original La Corda D'oro characters or the original story line…so there!

**Important, Please read!!**: I'm looking for someone to be my beta-reader (or editor…whichever…..). Preferably someone who's very familiar with La Corda D'oro and who is willing to tell me what sucks, if it's getting OOC, or anything else! Please e-mail me (my e-mail should be on my homepage).

Pre-chapter Notes: Whee! Chapter 7! Before I know it, I'll be on 10…that's so weird! I get the feeling this will go past chapter 15. Hmm…additionally…I hate roman numerals. Why in the world did I use them? Aish…I suppose I'm just crazy. Hehe. Hmm…I wasn't sure what to do with Kahoko's older brother…I don't even know what his name is, so I just made one up! If anyone knows what it is, please tell me so I can change it for future readers!

* * *

"That little girl could be the fairy hunter…"

Kahoko looked at Lili, shocked.

"Saki-chan?! The fairy hunter is Saki-chan?!" she asked in horror.

Lili had a worried look on his face, "Well, maybe. Like I said before, I can't pinpoint it on one person. The fairy hunter aura is everywhere in this school! Also, fairy hunters have the ability to see us."

Kahoko processed that for a while. Saki-chan couldn't be a fairy hunter; she was just a little girl! "But Lili, Saki-chan doesn't even attend Seiso! How could she have spread the aura here?"

"Well, it doesn't take much for a fairy hunter's aura to get around. All they really have to do is go to a location once! They don't need to be there all the time for their aura to stay there and spread."

Kahoko panicked; Len's little cousin? Such a quiet, cute little girl…and her hands…what about that?

"But…" Lili continued, "I guess we can't jump to conclusions. Another thing could be that she's like you."

This, Kahoko understood perfectly. Lili spoke of the kind of person who was the exact opposite of a fairy hunter, a person like Kahoko. She had never thought that there'd be others who'd be able to see Lili like she could; it broadened her view a little bit.

The two looked at each other.

"We need to keep an eye on her Kahoko, please?" Lili said, turning on that little fata charm of his.

A little warily, Kahoko accepted this responsibility. How that was going to happen, she was not sure, but she couldn't continue doing nothing, could she? Kahoko checked her violin case to make sure it was fastened close and walked down to the outside of the school at the front, where everyone usually walked in to school. Standing just behind the front gates stood Len and Saki; apparently, they had not left yet.

Kahoko was about to walk over to them when a strangely familiar looking car pulled over. It parked right in front of the entry way; the door opened and a man walked out.

_Eh?_

"Oniisan!"

Both Kahoko and Saki called out at the same time. Indeed, Kahoko's older brother walked out of the car, however, Saki was the one who ran over to him and hugged on to his legs.

"Oy, are you really little Saki-chan? When in the world did you get so big?!" he said playfully, picking her up like he was her father.

"Oniisan…" Kahoko said walking up. "What are you doing here?"

Kenji? What in the world was he doing at her school? Kenji was indeed Kahoko's older brother by about 3 years. He was in his first year of college now, since before, he had taken a year off. Before, Kahoko had not seen him often because his college, while it was close, was still not close enough for regular visits. But, now he was on a short break and had been able to visit her on her birthday at least.

He looked up and smiled. "Kahoko!"

Len turned around, slightly surprised. "This is your brother?" he asked plainly.

She nodded. "Uhm…why-"

Saki looked at Kahoko; Saki's little face was expressionless as she said, "Oniisan goes out with Oneechan."

Kahoko jumped. "What?!" Saki couldn't possibly have been talking about Kenji and Seoko. Maybe Saki had another older sister…yes…that could have been it. It seemed too strange that it was possible for her older brother to date someone in Kahoko's age group.

Kenji put down Saki and scratched his head. "Well, actually, we don't go out anymore. Seoko and I don't really talk…"

Now both Len and Kahoko looked slightly alarmed.

Noticing their shock, Kenji blushed.

"Oniisan, you went out with Shima-senpai?!?"

He laughed a little bit strangely.

"Oniisan!!!" Kahoko almost yelled.

This was a rather strange situation. The fact that Kahoko's older brother had gone out with Len's cousin made the world seem to become smaller and smaller.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, she dumped me," he said lightly, seeing that his sister was slightly creeped out about the fact that he had dated someone younger. "Kahoko, it's really not that big a deal. She's only two years younger than me; that's hardly an age difference."

Kahoko sighed, knowing that what her brother said was true. However, it didn't change how weird Kahoko felt about it.

Len stood silently observing what was going on; he had no idea what went on in his cousin's love life (not that he wanted to know in the first place), and he too felt surprised that his cousin had dated a college guy. Also, why hadn't his cousin recognized Kahoko by her last name if she had gone out with Kahoko's older brother? No doubt it had to do with his cousin's tendency to be on cloud nine most of her waking hours.

An awkward silence prevailed over the group, that is, until Saki broke it.

"Oniisan," her little voice squeaked out as she tugged on his pant leg. "This is Len Tsukimori, our cousin."

Kenji looked up at Len and smiled in recognition. "Ahh…so _you're_ Len Tsukimori. Seoko has told me a lot about you." Kenji stuck out his hand for Len to shake; but, Len had not taken notice of the hand and instead, asked suspiciously,

"And what exactly has she told you?"

Len's eyes narrowed causing Kahoko to cringe back a little.

Kenji stood his ground and continued smiling while saying, "Oh, just things…little things."

Of course, Len was not satisfied with this answer, but something about Kenji's expression caused Len to know that he would not get a better answer than that. Having this been the second time Len had lost something today, he walked away without saying much of a farewell to Kenji, but at least an actual "Good-bye" to Kahoko and Saki.

Kenji blinked. "Yes…Seoko told me that he tends to be like that," he said before Kahoko could rush to Len's defense of his almost wordless exit. "Anyways, I better get this little girl to her doctor's appointment." He picked up Saki again who had reverted to silence and simple observing.

Kahoko nodded, but suddenly thought to ask, "Oniisan, were you really close enough to Shima-senpai for Saki-chan to be calling you her brother?"

Kenji didn't say anything for a minute, but looked at Kahoko thoughtfully. The look that her brother was giving her was one that Kahoko had not seen before; it was serious, but very gentle. She was unsure of what to make of it.

As if knowing that his real little sister couldn't think of anything else to say, Kenji got out a free hand and waved. "I should go, but after I'm done, I'll be home for dinner."

After putting Saki into the car, Kenji got into the front and drove off saying good-bye to Kahoko, leaving her alone at the front of the school.

_I guess there are some things that even I don't know about my older brother…  
_

* * *

"Ahhhh! Vacation is so close!!" Nao yawned.

It was a lazy afternoon with the sun shining outside and everyone eating lunch inside.

Restlessly, Kahoko picked at her food and mulled over the fairy hunter situation. Her only lead on this was Saki now, and that was difficult enough by itself considering that Saki was only eight years old.

"Eh? Kaho-chan, what's wrong?" Mio inquired, noting her friend's agitation.

Blinking wildly, Kahoko looked up at her friend's worried facial expression.

"Oh, nothing…I'm just thinking is all…" Kahoko covered, knowing that she'd probably never be able to explain her fairy problem to them.

"Thinking about your vacation trip your mom and sister gave you??" Nao wondered, knowing already that Kahoko was to invite 7 other people (Mio and Nao were already invited).

_Oh-!!_

"Uhm, yes!" Kahoko animatedly exclaimed, just remembering that she still had the tickets in her room. "I'm not sure who else to invite besides you guys, and maybe Fuyuumi-chan."

Although Kahoko was well-known throughout the school (because of the concours), she did not have other close friends like Nao and Mio. Perhaps Nami or Manami? Both were very much helpful in the concours; she owed them a lot.

"Ne, Kaho-chan," Nao nudged, "how about inviting the rest of the concours members? You got really close to them, didn't you?"

"Eh?"

Considering fully that most of the other members were guys, Kahoko's face turned a scarlet shade of red. "Nao!"

"What?" Nao said, not feeling embarrassed one bit. "We're not in middle school anymore, Kahoko. Lighten up! It's not as if we're going to a night club or anything. This is a parent sponsored event, ok? I'm sure we're all mature enough to go on this trip. Besides, didn't you go with some of those guys on a music training camp?"

"Well…"

Yes, Kahoko remembered this vividly. Streams of random images flashed through her mind from those few days they stayed at Shoko's family's villa, some of which were uncomfortable…while others were…

…

….

…..

……

_Ave Maria…_

"…Kaho-chan, you're blushing again," Mio observed.

"Apparently, I'm having trouble controlling that function…" Kahoko said dejectedly.

* * *

After Notes: Hmmm..well, this chapter was shorter than I wanted it to be, but I decided to separate it from the next part. Yup, there is going to be a typical manga-type vacation trip to the beach! YAY! Lol…I couldn't help myself. Too much fun stuff can happen in that situation. I'm sorry this was really slow, but I'm trying my best to juggle things with school! Please tell me if there's anything wrong!


	8. Movement VIII

Disclaimer: Nope…don't own La Corda D'oro or any of its original characters or the original La Corda D'oro story line. I do own THIS story's story line and a few characters, but that's beside the point.

Pre-Chapter Notes: Uhmmm…I'm going to attempt to make up for the shortness of the last chapter by making this one little longer, but I'm not sure if I can pull it off without making you guys wait an eternity. I'll try my hardest! This chapter will probably give me more trouble than the last one since I do not have this one planned in my head at all. You see, I have the last part of the middle and the end of this story set in my mind, but now I have to work up to that. Aish! Wish me luck! (BTW: "Pre-Chapter Notes" are written before I have even written the chapter! After notes are after I have written it…so there)

Super ultra credits: To my beta-reader/editor or whatever, zippingzephyr!! I owe her sooo much! Without her, this chapter would have not been possible!!

* * *

"I'm sorry Hino, I can't go," Manami bowed apologetically. 

"No, it's alright. I understand…I'm kind of last minute on this, so it's my fault anyways."

Waving good-bye to Manami, Kahoko sighed and walked dismally to her next class. Apparently, Manami already had plans with other friends for the vacation. Nami Amou also had plans to shadow someone at a real newspaper job. Now what was she to do? Invite her family was her last option, right? That wouldn't be so bad…but…she'd still have extra tickets…and that just seemed like a huge waste!

_I guess Nao was right…I'll have to resort to plan C…_

Plan C involved inviting the rest of the concours members. She made a list in her head. Nao, Mio, Fuyuumi…Len…Ryotaro…Kazuki….Keiichi…….Azuma……………….? Even with that, she still had just one ticket left. Who else did she know? Who?!?!

"Ow!"

Unfortunately, Kahoko had not been paying attention and bumped into someone. Embarrassed, she quickly bowed in apology.

"I'm so sorry! Are you alright? I'm sorry!"

"Nah, it's ok, Kaho-chan," said a familiar voice.

_Huh?_

Kahoko looked up to view her victim more closely. It was Len's cousin, Seoko.

_Seoko-!_

"Shima-senpai! Hi!" Kahoko greeted enthusiastically. "I was just wondering something about vacation…"

* * *

Both Ryotaro and Len were not pleased. For Ryotaro, it was because of the presence of Len. While Len also did not like Ryotaro's company, there was another "presence" on this vacation. The so-called "presence" made Len feel very much exasperated and incredibly tired This "presence" was no other than his own relative… 

"Lennniieee!" his boisterous cousin shouted, waving some childhood pictures of him from her seat on the train. "Aren't they cute?! Do you remember these!!??"

He cringed at his cousin's call. From the corner of his eye, Len noticed Ryotaro smirking; one day, he would get her back for this humiliation…one day…

Len fumed as Ryotaro suppressed his laughter, knowing he would laugh so loud that it'd be embarrassing. Shoko shyly looked over Seoko's shoulder along with Mio, Nao, and Kahoko. Mio and Nao sat together directly in front of Shoko and Seoko as Kahoko sat in the seat behind them with Keiichi (who was of course, sleeping).

"Ne, he looks so adorable in these pictures! You'd hardly believe it was actually Tsukimori," Nao said in a low voice. The girls giggled.

Azuma looked across the aisle from his train seat and wondered aloud, "What could you girls possibly be laughing so much about?"

Seoko waved Len's embarrassing pictures even higher for the world to see. "These babies right here," she laughed. She tossed some at Kazuki who seemed to be staring out into space in his seat next to Azuma. "Kazuki-kun, wanna see some?"

Kazuki blinked. "Hm? Oh, yeah!" Kazuki gained his normal enthusiasm and fussed over the pictures. Azuma watched Kazuki quietly and inferred that Kazuki was putting on a face. He'd been doing so for the past couple of days since the picture in the paper.

Every now and then Kazuki would daydream and drift off into who knows where.

Azuma, who didn't normally worry over other people's problems, distinctly felt concerned for his normally chipper friend. While Azuma usually never deeply contemplated Kazuki, Azuma was used to Kazuki being, well, himself. Perhaps this little vacation that Kahoko had abruptly invited them on was a good thing…or a horribly catastrophic thing. It could go either way. He looked over at the group; Kazuki leaned over the aisle to share the pictures with the girls. He looked in front of him; all he could see were the backs of Ryotaro's and Len's heads, but he was positive that Len seethed quietly.

_I wonder what this little trip will bring…_

* * *

Kahoko plopped on a twin size bed in a room at the inn. Just thirty minutes before, they had checked in at the counter. This did not prove to be a challenge of any sort considering they were the only ones in line. It appeared that when the group arrived, the place was empty. The owner explained that they had been expecting another large group of people from a convention to come, but the group had to cancel because of a storm delay. Now, Kahoko's little group of friends more or less had the whole place to themselves. 

Kahoko worried. Lili…she left him all alone for this vacation. When she invited everyone to go, she totally forgot that there'd be no one to keep an eye on fairy hunter business. Lili assured her that he'd be fine for four days, but Kahoko still felt enormously guilty. She looked at her still unpacked bag.

Nao and Mio were just finishing up and getting ready for their planned dinner. Kahoko looked at the room; it was cozy and just barely fit the three of them. Seoko and Shoko were in a room adjoining this one while the boys were in the two adjoining rooms across the hall.

After finishing with her things and finally getting settled, Kahoko glanced at the time. "Nao, Mio, it's almost time for us to get going for din-"

Before she could finish, Seoko burst in through the adjoining door with Shoko in tow.

"I am so excited!!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Shima-senpai, quiet down!" Nao said, laughing.

"And what? Bother all those other guests?"

"She has a point," Mio indicated.

"Well, as I was saying," Kahoko continued, "We should probably start to get going."

Seoko pouted. "Oh, what's the rush Kaho-chan? The boys are probably expecting us to dawdle anyways. Let's just talk about girl stuff!"

Mio looked up. "Like what?"

A mischievous smile played on to their senpai's face.

"Let's talk boys…"

* * *

Kazuki paced in the hallway separating the girls' rooms and the guys' rooms. He still vividly remembered that picture in the school paper. Now, every time he looked at either Kahoko or Ryotaro, he felt like he'd explode! He knew from the way the two acted that they weren't going out. As little as Kazuki knew about relationships, he could tell that much. Also, Azuma kept on reassuring him several times it wasn't possible. But…it made him feel so…jealous. Jealous…Kazuki never felt that often; not in this way. He disliked feeling resentful toward Ryotaro all because of that one picture. Then again, it's like they say. A picture says a thousand words… 

"Oh c'mon Kaho-chan!"

Kazuki looked abruptly at the girls' side of the hall. Apparently, these walls weren't very soundproof.

"Who would you rather?????" Kazuki heard Seoko's voice say rather loudly.

_Rather what? Rather what?!?_

Before he knew it, Kazuki found himself listening closely to the door. Soon, one of the boys' doors opened revealing Ryotaro and Keiichi walking out.

Ryotaro raised an eyebrow. "Hihara-senpai? What-"

The giggling of girls stopped Ryotaro in mid-sentence.

And thus, somehow, the rest of the boys ended up close to the girls' side of the hall; all except for Azuma. Keiichi silently wondered why this felt so familiar.

"Sho-chan," Seoko said excitedly, "What do you think about Keiichi-kun?"

The boys almost felt the shy girl blush. "Well, I…um…"

"Shima-senpai, stop picking on Fuyuumi-chan!" Kahoko playfully lectured.

"Oh?" said Nao's voice. "What about you, Kaho-chan? Among the concours members, which guy is your preference?"

The boys, even the almost fast asleep Keiichi and the self-proclaimed indifferent Len, all leaned in to listen more closely.

"I-" she began.

Suddenly, the door, which Kazuki had been leaning on, opened, causing Kazuki to fall over.

"Hey guys," greeted Seoko, peeking out at the rest of the listeners. "Learn anything new?"

* * *

"Is that so?" Azuma said smiling after Seoko's excruciatingly detailed version of the incident in the hallway. "And I missed out? How unfortunate…" 

And truly, he did regret he had not witnessed this hilarious event.

Kazuki seemed to be shrinking in his seat as Len and Ryotaro almost looked ashamed. Keiichi, however, stared sleepily at his soup and wondered if itwasstill scalding or if it had cooled down yet.

Kazuki, Ryotaro, and even Len all seemed to be thinking the same thing:

_She must think I'm an idiot…_

The group finished up their dinner at the restaurant which was connected to the hotel. The menu had been simple, consisting of beef teriyaki, shrimp tempura, and other sorts. A waitress dropped off the ending plate and left the bill.

"Oh, watermelon!" Kazuki exclaimed, immediately grabbing a piece.

Kahoko smiled, remembering that Kazuki always ate too quickly due to his competition with his older brother. She looked over at the rest of everyone at the table, each one grabbing a piece except for…

"Ah, Tsukimori-kun, you don't like watermelon?"

Len looked up at Kahoko.

Suddely, someone in the group began to laugh hysterically.

…_.Oh no…_

Seoko was sitting in her seat and laughing like a mad woman.

"Shima-senpai, are…you…alright?" Shoko asked quietly, cowering back little by little.

Seoko wiped tears from her eyes, still amused by whatever made her laugh in the first place. "I'm sorry, I just…oh gosh…Len…you are a cutie…"

Ryotaro looked between Seoko and Len. Len, the normally confident (although slightly stuck-up, in Ryotaro's opinion) looked like he shrunk visibly. Although he obviously lost some of his poise, he still said confidently, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Seoko shook her head and waved her finger at Len as if he had done something bad. "Tisk, tisk Len, don't you remember?"

He turned away and did not even acknowledge Seoko's question.

Azuma, slightly intrigued, faced towards Seoko; while he did find her incredibly annoying, she was still quite the interesting person. She proved to be a catalyst for Len's inept social abilities. "What is it, Shima-san?"

Seoko smiled her usual, devious smile. She proceeded to tell her story, starting with fantastic descriptions of Len as a child, using her pictures as props to tell the story. Slowly but surely, Len began to sink into his seat; Ryotaro definitely enjoyed this.

The story felt unbearably long to Len; how was it possible that his air-headed cousin remembered the most worthless things so vividly? Then again, why did that surprise him?

Finally, her storytelling came to a climax: "This was Len's first time eating watermelon, y'know? Being only five and all…it was his first time eating one with seeds in it anyways." At this point, Seoko looked like she was about to lose control of herself and break out laughing, but she continued on. "He looked at the piece suspiciously for a bit, staring at it. After he finally took a bite of it, I couldn't resist saying, 'Hey, Len…did you know that if you eat watermelon seeds like that, a watermelon will grow in your stomach?'" Now, Seoko definitely giggled. "He spit the watermelon right out and hasn't eaten any since!"

The girls laughed as Ryotaro smirked. Nao wiped her eyes as she said, "Tsukimori, that is entirely too cute! Have you really not eaten watermelon since?"

Silence from Len.

Ryotaro, of course, had to interject, "How sad, being afraid of watermelons after all this time. Really now, Tsukimori, I'm beginning to lose my respect for you."

Len shot his best death glare the group had ever seen; who it was pointed at, no one was sure, but nonetheless, he would never live this down for the rest of his school life.

* * *

Kazuki sighed restlessly, looking out on the balcony at the beach. The waves crashed against the shore, soothing his mind quite a bit. He hated his growing restlessness these days. He realized it had been a while since Kazuki had talked alone with Kahoko; was the last time before the end of the concours? Maybe. 

Walking out of the hallway onto the balcony, he closed his eyes and leaned over the rail. He could not remember being this calm for a long time; he felt glad that he decided to go on this trip. Really, the fact that Kahoko invited him made his heart soar.

Before Kazuki knew it, he fell into a kind of nap, right there, standing up and leaning on the railing. While he was still conscious, he didn't fully notice the sound of a voice or the light footsteps coming towards him…

It surprised Kahoko to find Kazuki just standing there, dazed at the balcony. Wasn't this something Keiichi usually did? Not being able to resist, she tip-toed up close behind him. Suddenly, she slammed her hands on his shoulders.

Kazuki gasped awake, losing his balance and almost falling over the railing.

"Sorry, Hihara-senpai!" Kahoko said sweetly, not meaning to startle him so much.

Kazuki looked behind him to find the beautiful girl with the dazzling, auburn hair. He blushed violently, covering his awkward feelings with laughter.

"Kaho-chan! I didn't hear you coming!" he exclaimed, surprised.

Kahoko gave him a playful suspicious look. "Well I suppose you wouldn't have considering how out of it you were; falling asleep while standing up. I could've almost mistaken you for Shimizu-kun if you didn't have green hair and weren't so tall."

Kazuki blushed slightly, still laughing.

She smiled happily, feeling comfortable with Kazuki. Kazuki was just so easy to get along with and to talk to; even though lately he had been a little bit awkward around her, she still felt warm and content whenever she was in his presence. She supposed Kazuki was just that kind of person, and she wouldn't change it for the world.

"Ah," she remembered, realizing she walked down this hall for a reason. "Have you seen Tsukimori-kun? I lost sight of him as soon as dinner ended."

For of course, as soon as everyone stood up, Len had managed to excuse himself into seclusion, undoubtedly because of his cousin's relentless teasing. Though Kahoko as well as everyone else thought the story to be cute, she knew that Len was not the kind of person who took that kind of teasing well. Kahoko knew Seoko was a good person; she just took teasing a bit too far, at least for Len.

Kazuki thought for a moment. "Hm, I think he may have gone to one of those empty rooms they said we could use; you know, when Len asked if there was a place to practice?"

Of course, she vividly remembered having to reassure Len that there had to be a place for him to practice his precious violin.

"And even though I don't know Len that well, I'm betting he's practicing his heart out," Kazuki concluded, half-smiling at Len's seriousness.

"Ok, thank you, Hihara-senpai! I'll see you later," she said, waving good-bye and running off.

He stood silently for a moment before wondering…

_Why would Kaho-chan want to talk to Len right now?_

One or two thoughts crossed his mind.

_Could Len and Kaho-chan…have something?_

Kazuki shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the thought. He ran off to his room. Len and Kahoko? Nah…that would never happen in a thousand years.

* * *

_Why did I bother to come?_

Len almost threw his stand together in a heap.

The inn had a few spare rooms used for events or small meetings; Len used them on this trip for practicing. Naturally he had brought his violin with him; that was the only way he would have even considered coming. Just because it was vacation didn't mean he could take a break from practicing. Besides, after a while, one just kind of got into the habit.

He sighed heavily, wishing badly that his cousin would by some miracle switch schools or better yet, completely move out of town. It was bad enough he dealt with her at home, but at school and even during a vacation? His mother asked too much of him.

He unfastened a few buttons on his shirt, trying to relax before playing. Without much pretense, he picked up his violin and flew. Why had he even bothered to set up a stand? He ended up just playing songs without sheet music; he created his own medley of solos through his finger memory. The music ranged from the Polonaise Brillante by Wieniawski to Sonatina Op. 100 by Dvorak. He realized that his fingers went through so many performances, so many contests, so many feelings…feelings?

He continued playing as he wondered if he had ever played with any feeling before…Kahoko Hino?

And just like that, his fingers somehow took over and began to play a piece he was all too familiar with.

Schubert's Ave Maria.

He had played this piece countless of times, but he and his fingers never tired from it. This piece…somehow…he always associated it with…

Suddenly, he noticed another presence in the room; they had been there for a while completely without him noticing. After he finished playing, he turned around only to find Kahoko Hino.

* * *

After Notes: Well, this was kind of amusing…not totally plot oriented…or maybe it is… And yes, I wrote Kahoko a little flamboyantly during her little scene with Kazuki 'cause I just figured, "Ah what the heck, she knows him well enough." This didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, and the watermelon thing wasn't THAT funny, but bear with me please; I had a hard time writing this, but better chapters are yet to come...I hope... 


End file.
